Monday, 31 March 2014

A woman, who was sexually abused by the Scottish swimming coach she had a crush on as an under-age teen, was inspired by victims of Jimmy Savile to report him four decades later, a court heard today.

Hugh Hamilton Smith, 76, of Southbank Court, Easter Park Drive, Cramond, Edinburgh first approached the 14 year-old in a changing room cubicle then abused her in his car and at his home, the jury were told.

He has pleaded not guilty at Croydon Crown Court to seven counts of indecently assaulting the teenager between August 1, 1973 and May 31, 1975 while the head coach of Beckenham Ladies Swimming Club.

The complainant, now aged 55 years-old, was a keen competitive swimmer and trained daily at the now-demolished Beckenham Grove Baths and at the National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace, south-east London under the tutelage of Smith

"I was so naive, I was in love with him and I thought he was in love with me," she told the court in a video interview. "I wanted to do what he wanted, I wanted to please him I suppose.

"He was an attractive man, quite charming, with a twinkle in his eye and a nice smile. He was fun.

"He was quite tanned, he had been an international swimmer, I think, and was quite fit and looked strong."

Prosecutor Mr. Mark Halsey told the jury the abuse began a few months after the death of the girl's father with comments about her being "well developed" and "top heavy" after a false start in a relay race.

The woman claims she was a regular baby-sitter for Smith, who during the year-long abuse told her: "Don't tell anyone about this."

At the time Smith - known as 'Hammie' - was married with two young sons, but this didn't stop him walking into the ladies changing room when the girl was in there, the court heard.

"He came into my cubicle and he kissed me," she said. "I had a bit of a crush on him, I suppose.

"I looked up to him. I was a bit in love with him in a teenage way."

She said Smith regularly gave her lifts in his white Volvo and would listen to Radio Two.

"I remember him singing along and looking at me and smiling," she explained, recalling one particular incident.

"He touched my breasts and then he would get me to put my hand on his penis," adding that Smith also fondled her between her legs and asked: "Was that better than when you do it yourself?"

There was a similar incident in Smith's kitchen, where the girl would have breakfast after early-morning training, the jury heard.

"I was wearing my school uniform and he put his hand up my skirt. Once he pressed so hard he lifted me off the ground."

The defendant took her to his bedroom, when his wife was away, and oral sex took place it is claimed. "I remember feeling that I did not want to be doing this."

Smith organised a weekend's training at the National Sports Centre and tried to get into the girl's room, she recalled.

"He was banging on the door and seemed quite cross. The door was locked."

She says the Jimmy Savile scandal prompted her to come forward after believing the events were too long ago and nobody would be interested in her complaint.

"People were coming forward daily with details of thirty, forty years ago. It was not too late, I would be listened to, the climate had changed.

"If I didn't say anything it's as if it didn't happen. It might have happened to other people and I might help other people."

Mr. Halsy said Smith was arrested and quizzed by police. "He said she may have had breakfast with him after training, but denied doing anything inappropriate.

"He said he had never had sexual relations with a girl under sixteen years-old."

Sunday, 30 March 2014

An
airplane drunk, who had to be restrained with flexicuffs by five
cabin crew after washing down prescribed mood-stabilisers with lager
and vodka on a long-haul flight, has been jailed for thirteen months
yesterday.Jobless
Martin Pitchers, 40, forced the Dubai-bound Qantas plane to turn
around over Germany and return to Heathrow Airport when an argument
with another passenger over a bag escalated into a foul-mouthed
confrontation with staff.The former
full-time carer of The Green, Upton, Norwich smashed a cup holder
while shouting and swearing then wielded a piece of the broken wooden
shard until he was eventually forcibly sedated.He pleaded
guilty to boarding the Airbus A380, while drunk, on December 9, last
year, being drunk on the aircraft and causing criminal damage.Isleworth
Crown Court heard Pitchers was travelling to New Zealand to visit his
brother and boarded the first leg of the flight with a one litre
bottle of vodka he had consumed approximately a quarter of.“It was
noted that the defendant was drunk and he had to be asked to keep his
seat-belt on and said he was suffering depression and his medication
was in the hold, but seemed co-operative and apologetic,” said
prosecutor Miss Zoe Jacob.The
remaining vodka was poured away, but trouble started twenty minutes
into the flight when another passenger, Chris Shepherd, reached
overhead for his own bag and Pitchers shouted: “That's my f***ing
bag, leave it alone.”“There
was a tussle and the air hostess intervened, but the defendant
continued shouting and swearing, lunging towards her face and
screaming: 'It's none of your f***ing business, get away from me.'“Due to
his aggressive nature and build it was physically demanding to
restrain the defendant and five crew members tried to get him into
the business lounge from economy.“He then
became more aggressive and ripped the furnishing off the cup holder
and used that to threaten the cabin crew,” added Miss Jacob.The court
heard Pitchers' fists were clenched and he adopted a “fighting
stance” and when eventually placed in a seat and restrained with
flexicuffs he kicked out at the cabin crew.“He was
waving his arms around and made threats to kill the crew, who
tannoyed for a doctor, who concluded Pitchers needed to be sedated.”As the
doctor checked a carpet burn on the defendants' forehead the
defendant told him: “You're a condescending c***.”The
captain deemed it too dangerous to continue and the flight, with 477
passengers and crew on board, returned to Heathrow at a cost to
Qantas of £31,803.When
quizzed by police Pichers said: “I was silly,” and admitted
taking more medication and drinking four pints of lager shortly
before boarding.His
lawyer, Mr. Michael Orsulik, told the court: “He is genuinely
mortified about his behaviour on that flight and says he is deeply
ashamed by his actions.“He has
no recollection of boarding the flight or being taken from the
airplane afterwards and says he is horrified and does not recognise
himself in the statements.“He is a
compassionate, caring, calm individual and if he could write to all
four hundred-odd people on that plane to apologise he would do so.”Pitchers
treated himself to his first holiday in a decade with financial help
from his family and a local authority grant after splitting with his
partner of ten years, for whom he was their full-time carer.“He took
it very badly and was prescribed mood-stabilisers and
anti-depressants.“He
drank to help him sleep on the flight and also took some of his
medication, but it seems he took too much.“He
wanted to be knocked out during the flight, but it had the opposite
effect.”Recorder
Andrew Wright told Pitchers: “There was no escape for the
passengers from the alcohol-fueled aggression you showed.”

Saturday, 29 March 2014

A businessman, who was facing a
maximum of ten years imprisonment after being caught with a stun gun,
baton and CS gas cannister after stepping off a plane from Thailand,
received a suspended sentence yesterday.Haulage boss Colin Callow, 61, of
Longwood, Sutton Maddock, Shifnal, Shropshire bought the illegal
weapons cheaply at a Bangkok marketplace, but was caught after his
suitcase was searched at Heathrow Airport.He claims he did not know the
electric stun gun – disguised as a police torch – was a weapon
when purchased by his travelling companion and innocently bought the
baton when looking for martial arts equipment for his son.Callow, director of Callow
Transport and Storage, pleaded guilty to smuggling the stun gun,
friction lock baton and CS gas cannister at the airport on December
10, last year.He also admitted being in
possession of a weapon designed to discharge electricity, possessing a
weapon designed to discharge gas and possessing an offensive weapon,
namely the friction lock baton.Prosecutor Mr. James Vine told
Isleworth Crown Court Callow had spent three weeks in Thailand with
friend Arnold Wilby, 82, and was questioned about the contents of his
suitcase on his return.Inside a green plastic bag
underneath clothing the UK Border Agency officer found the weapons
and when told they were illegal Callow simply replied: “Oh, are
they?”“He said he had gone to Thailand
with a friend and they thought it was a good idea to buy a torch
because the lighting outside the hotel was poor at night,”
explained the prosecutor.

Travelling Pal: Arnold Wilby

“Mr. Callow told the officer his
friend had bought the torch at a market and he had no idea it was a
stun gun.“He said his son had asked him
to buy numchukas and when he asked about them at the market he was
sold the baton and was unaware that it contained a gas cannister.”The stun gun was tested and emited
blue sparks and made a crackling noise and is deemed by the
prosecution to be a non-lethal self-defence weapon.The baton was telescopic and
extended to two-feet in length.Callow's lawyer Mr. Chester Beyts
told the court imprisonment for his client would be a diaster for his
company, which he has built-up over thirty-five years, and his
seventeen employees.“There is a public interest that
the company doesn't collapse.“He finds himself in the most
extraordinary situation and the strain of court proceedings has been
frightening for him and those around him.

“He was a vulnerable tourist
excited by the marketplace and cannot believe the situation he has
got himself into.”Sentencing Callow to eight months
imprisonment, suspended for fifteen months, Recorder David Fisher QC
told the first-time offender: “These are serious offences.“We are dealing with three
weapons capable of causing verying degrees of temporary injury and
the ever-present danger exists that they might fall into the wrong
hands and be used in crime.”Callow was also orddred to pay
£300 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.He was supported in court by Mr.
Wilby, his two daughters, son and his second-in-command at the
company.

Friday, 28 March 2014

An illegal online gun trader, who sold blank starting pistols that could be converted to fire C.S. gas and other toxic substances, received a suspended prison sentence today.Butcher John Rhodes, 37, of London Street, Fleetwood, Lancashire was investigated by Scotland Yard after a suspected drug dealer was caught with one of the weapon's in the boot of his Audi Q7 during a police swoop.“You were not aware their sale or transfer was an illegal activity,” Isleworth Crown Court Recorder John Hobson QC told the defendant. “They are not capable of firing bullets or projectiles, but are capable of firing gas or pepper.“They are capable of being used offensively, they are capable of causing harm if they fall into the wrong hands.”He sentenced Rhodes to nine months imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months, and ordered him to perform 150 hours community service work. The court heard the father-of-three placed ads on a site called 'Gunstar' for a variety of firearms, typically selling them for £150-£250.They were usually advertised as blank-firing guns that did not require a firearms licence and customers incuded a Colt 45 purchaser, who needed the gun for a World War Two re-enactment and a security consultant who worked in Afghanistan.He pleaded guilty halfway through his jury trial to twenty-two counts of selling or transferring a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of gas on or before September 13, 2011 and one count of selling or transferring a Heckler & Koch MPSK-PDW air weapon without a firearms certificate.A total of twenty-four firearms were seized by police and eighteen will be destroyed with the remainder to be held for future reference purposes.Rhodes' online identity was 'Johnshotgun' and 'JJMilitaria' and after opening the 'Gunstar' account in 2010 he then set up a second account on another firearms website in 2011.Police raided his address on September 13, 2011 and Rhodes, who is not the holder of a firearms certificate, told officers he bought the weapons from abroad and thought they were legal.He estimted his total sales were in the region of fifty firearms and started the business: “To make a couple of quid.”Rhodes had a small amount of cocaine in his pocket and was cautioned for that offence, claiming he had bought the drug, but not consumed it during a recent night out.The charges, relate to a Umarex Walther P22; Retay Desert Eagle; three Umarex Colt 1911's; Zoraki 925; Walther P22 forearm.Rohm RG3; Ekol Viper; Heckler & Koch P30 Walther PP; Ekol Jackal Dual.Colt 1911; Ekol Special 99; Colt Government 1911; Ekol Jackal Dual blank-firing pistol; Walther P22 blank-firing pistol.Colt 45 blank-firing pistol; Saver P239 blank-firing pistol; Walther P99 blank-firing pistol; Ekol Viper; Heckler & Koch MPSK-PDW air weapon and a Walther P22 blank-firing pistol.His lawyer Mr. James Bourne-Arton told the court: “There were no gas cartridges recovered from Rhodes' address and no one bought a gun and then bought any cartridges.”The firearms are legal in Germany and the lawyer added: “You would be better off arming yourself with a cricket bat, baseball bat or a knife.“There have been no connections here to any acts of violence.”

Thursday, 27 March 2014

A
nightclub troublemaker, who was violently thrown out of the venue by
bouncers, has been caged for 22 years after he returned and tried to
shoot dead four of the door staff.

Tunde
Olutosin, 24, (pictured) of St. Norbert Road, Brockley had some of
his teeth knocked out and received a facial injury when ejected from
Fire, Parry Street, Vauxhall in the early hours of May 19, last year.

He
was found guilty at the Old Bailey of four counts of attempted murder
and possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger
life.

When
sentencing Olutosin the judge declared him a dangerous offender.

This
result follows a reactive investigation by the Metropolitan Police
Service’s Trident Gang Crime Command.

Officers
discovered that a fight inside the venue had resulted in door staff
ejecting one of the participants, Olutosin.

He
argued with security personnel outside, at one stage brandishing a
broken bottle.

This
behaviour led to him being physically restrained by the doorman,
sustaining a facial injury and losing some of his teeth.

He
was released and left the area after making repeated threats to
return with a gun and kill the door staff.

He
came back a short time later armed with a revolver.

Olutosin
discharged the weapon several times aiming at the four individual
door staff.

Fortunately,
nobody was hit and it was evident he had difficulties with the gun,
which jammed a number of times.

He
then escaped the scene prior to the arrival of police.

Having
been forensically identified as a suspect by DNA at the scene, a
firearms search warrant was executed at Olutosin’s home address on
May 24.

Investigating
officer, Acting Detective Sergeant Sylvia Diggins of the Trident
South Reactive Team, said: “Through his own violent behaviour, it
was necessary for the security staff to eject Olutosin from the
nightclub to ensure the safety of other nightclub-goers.

“This
caused him to sustain injuries whilst they tried to restrain him.

“However
frustrating this may have been for Olutosin it did not warrant him
arming himself with a gun and then firing at the door staff.

It
is a miracle that no-one was harmed.

“I
hope this significant sentence sends a clear message to those
involved in gun crime that they will be caught and will be placed
before the courts."

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

A
violent mugger, who dragged his octogenarian victim off a bus and to
the ground as he snatched £1,500 cash, was jailed for seven years
yesterday.

John
O'Rourke, 41, (pictured) of Lytham Close, Thamesmead pounced on the
82 year-old victim – who died two months later – as they
travelled on a number 53 bus towards Plumstead on September 9, last
year.

He
pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court,
which also ruled he should spend an additional five years on licence
when he is released.

They
both boarded the bus in Woolwich New Road and sat on the lower deck,
where O'Rourke sneaked up on the victim from behind and tried to put
his hand inside the pensioner's shirt pocket.

The
victim reacted and tried to prevent O'Rourke from stealing his money,
resulting in a struggle and the defendant dragging the man off the
bus and onto the ground.

Members
of the public, who came to his aid, were told by O'Rourke that he was
just "helping the victim".

The
pensioner was dragged to Waverley Crescent, Plumstead where O'Rourke
stole his wallet and left him on the ground.

Following
the robbery officers conducted a number of CCTV enquiries and
identified footage of the incident.

A
warrant was executed at his home address and a pair of shoes
identical to those O'Rourke can be seen wearing in the CCTV footage
was found.

Detective
Constable Stephanie Walker, of Greenwich Borough police, said:
"O'Rourke targeted a vulnerable, frail man and did not care
about the hurt or fright he caused him.

“He
subjected the victim to a prolonged attack and did not stop until he
finally stole his cash.

“Sadly
the victim died just two months later and whilst there are no links
between his death and the robbery, I have witnessed first hand the
damage caused by this crime and how it affected the victim's
confidence."

Monday, 24 March 2014

A fraudster said nothing when his
deceased mother's £630 a month pension continued to be paid into his
bank account because he wanted to make improvements to his home.Carpenter Graham Tomlinson, 65, of Fairby Grange Cottages, Ash Road, Hartley, Longfield, Kent pocketed
nearly £8,300 until Logica, who managed the Metropolitan Police
Pension, realised what was going on and demanded the money back.The first-time offender pleaded
guilty fraud by failing to disclose information between March 1, 2012
and March 12, last year and was conditionally discharged for two
years and ordered to pay £340 costs.Prosecutor Miss Shazia Ahmed told
Croydon Crown Court the pension was paid into a joint account
Tomlinson held with his mother and continued after she passed away.Her death was not reported, which
would have ended the pension payments, and the company did not
discover the true position for a year.Logica's first three letters on
the subject were ignored and after they received no reply to a fourth
recorded delivery letter they call in the police.When Tomlinson was arrested he
confessed everything to the officers.“He told them he had a breakdown
after his mother died and was in financial difficulties,” explained
Miss Ahmed.“He said it took six months for
him to realise the money was being paid into the account and he
needed it for work done on the house.”At that stage Tomlinson was given
a chance to repay the money, but failed to do so.It has now been repaid in full.His lawyer Mr. David Claxton told
the court: “He nursed his mother through her illness up until her
death. Mr. Tomlinson has angina and high blood pressure.”Judge John Tanzer told Tomlinson:
“Basically you let matters run and you shouldn't have.“People turn a blind eye. Things
were left to carry on running and he buried his head in the sand.”

Sunday, 23 March 2014

A
vicious knife-wielding burglar, who stabbed to death the fifty-year
resident of a smart home he raided, has been caged for life.

Joseph
Griffiths, 72, (pic.top) was stabbed twenty-two times in his
Hazlebury Road house in fashionable Fulham.

Aaron
De Silva, 22, (pic.bottom) of Warwick Road, Earl's Court was
convicted of murdering Mr. Griffiths during the early-morning
break-in on November 9, 2012.

Detective
Inspector Simon Pickford of the Homicide and Major Crime Command,
said: "De Silva is an extremely violent individual who had no
hesitation in stabbing the victim repeatedly in a frenzied and brutal
attack after he was disturbed having broken into Mr Griffiths' home.

"I
must pay tribute to Mr Griffiths' family who have been left utterly
devastated by what happened.

“They
have conducted themselves with the utmost restraint and dignity
throughout this tragic incident and my and my team's thoughts are
with them."

The
victim had enjoyed an evening out with his wife and visiting friends
the night before and at around 6:20am one of the guests was awoken by
a commotion and shouting that sounded like "get out" and
"who are you?"

Downstairs
they discovered the victim's wife sobbing and screaming and Mr
Griffiths lying in the hallway on his back with his dressing gown
covered in blood.

Police
and the ambulance service were called, but Mr Griffiths was
pronounced dead at the scene.

A
post-mortem examination later revealed the businessman, who had two
grown-up sons and seven grandchildren, died of multiple stab wounds.

Enquiries
revealed a pair of bolt croppers had been stolen from a neighbouring
garden shed overnight and the basement-level rear kitchen window of
the Griffiths' home had been forced with the handle of the bolt
croppers.

Deadly: Murder Weapon

De
Silva had climbed over four garden walls and negotiated trellises and
hedges to get to the back of the Griffiths' house.

He
had then opened the back door ready for his escape.

The
murder weapon (pictured) – a lock knife was found near the murder
scene in Snowbury Road had a bloody handle that matched that of the
victim.

A
partial DNA profile matching De Silva was found on the handle.

CCTV
showed De Silva back at his hostel around an hour after the murder
listening to music, seemingly entirely unaffected by what he had just
done.

He
was arrested on November 13 and charged two days later.

In
an impact statement the victim's son Mark said: "The murder of
Joe in such a brutal and senseless manner has left a gaping hole not
only in our immediate family but also the families of all who knew
him.

"What
should have been a happy Saturday get-together for the whole family
was shattered by the numbing news of Joe's murder.

“Instead
of coming together as a family to share a meal we were gathered
together in very different circumstances that, even today over a year
hence, does not seem real.

"Writing
this some fifteen months after that dreadful day, those events were
real and we as a family are living with the devastating consequences
of that terrible act of violence.

“The
sudden loss of Joe has caused severe stress among all family members
and has especially hit his seven grandchildren.

"The
whole family, and our circle of friends, still feel a deep sorrow and
sense of loss since Joe's murder.

“Members
of our family have had to deal with recurring nightmares, triggered
by that fateful day.

“We
can only hope that with the passage of time these nightmares and
feelings will lessen.

"Judy
(mum) took the brave decision to return to the house where her
husband was murdered, trying to live her life as normally as
possible.

“This
is the house where she and Joe had lived for fifty years, where one
of her children was born and where both sons were raised.

"An
irreplaceable member of our thriving family business was lost.

Fifty
years of business experience and acumen gone in a wanton act of
mindless violence.

Saturday, 22 March 2014

A Polish rough sleeper, who beat a fellow
homeless man to death – inflicting fatal chest injuries with repeated punches –
has been convicted of murder.

The body of Alfred Stemporowski, 55,
(pic.top) was found on May 30, last year in the brick refuse building he called
home in Keats Close, Enfield.

An Old Bailey jury convicted 30 year-old
Damin Walczyk, (pic.bottom) who also slept there, of murdering the victim
during an unprovoked drunken attack.

A post mortem examination revealed he died
after suffering major chest injuries and fractures to his rib cage.

A married couple, who also sheltered in the
building, witnessed the violent assault during the early evening of May 29.

Alfred was asleep on a mattress when,
without warning, Walczyk - who had been drinking - grabbed him, pulled him up
and began punching him repeatedly in the face and upper body.

When the couple began shouting at him to
stop Walczyk, who is younger and larger in stature, threatened them with the
same and blocked the exit to stop them leaving.

They asked why he was attacking Mr.
Stemporowski and Walczyk replied: “For the love of my country,” - a Polish
phrase that means doing something for no reason at all.

A short time later the witnesses managed to
escape and tried to get help from various members of the public, however due to
the language barrier they could not be understood and neither police or the
London Ambulance Service were called.

Later that day they returned to the refuse
building to find Walczyk asleep and Alfred on his mattress.

Assuming he was asleep they left him alone.

At about 6:00am the following morning they
were unable to rouse Alfred and realised he had died.

Friday, 21 March 2014

A child porn voyeur, who secretly
filmed a fifteen year-old girl showering at his home, where she and
her mother were regular guests, was exposed after a sudden raid by
Scotland Yard's Paedophile Unit.John Cleur, 41, of Capel Road,
Forest Gate also kept recordings of the girl's mother, which he made
using a camera hidden inside a spectacles case placed on the edge of
the bathroom sink.Officers made off with
incriminating computer files and seized more material when they
searched his mother's home in Mortlake Road, Ilford.Cleur pleaded guilty at
Hammersmith Magistrates' Court to three counts of voyeurism in that
he took sexual gratification from recording a person doing a private
act on dates between July 21, 2011 and March 22, 2012.He also pleaded guilty to two
counts of making an indecent image of a child and one count of
posseesing 49 indecent images of a child.Cleur was placed on probation for
two years and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.He must also sign the sex
offenders register for five years and an indefinite Sexual Offences
Prevention Order was made, which controls his internet use.The court heard computer
equipment, including a tower and USB sticks were seized by police and
Cleur confessed to visiting porn sites such as 'Jailbait' which
featured girls aged between 11 and 15.His favourite scenes were
voyeuristic in nature and the defendant admitted to officers this
inspired him to film his own.He agreed he received sexual
gratification from watching the teenage guest showering at his home
and also kept footage of her mother.The court heard the domestic
“fall-out must have been enormous”, particularly as Cleur's wife
was at home during the first police raid.The first-time offender was told
it was “tragic” he should find himself in court for such
offences.

Thursday, 20 March 2014

A notorious housing benefit cheat featured on BBC's 'Saints & Scroungers' after a £90,000 scam was sentenced today for his role in a £194,000 crisis loan swindle.

Jobless Emmanuel Ikem, 29, (pictured) of South Norwood Hill, Upper Norwood was involved with his brother Peter Ikem,31, in a fraud, which saw a total of 228 bogus applications made for taxpayers money to cover deposits and the first month's rent for multiple prospective tenants.

However, Emmanuel was not sent back to prison after the Recorder of Croydon Warwick McKinnon ruled that it would be "quite unjust", and Peter, who had a larger role in the scam, received a two year sentence.

Both pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to conspiring to defraud the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between March 1, 2011 and November 12, 2012.

A third defendant, Steven Coote ,38, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in relation to a crisis loan application on November 30, 2011 and was fined £750, with a £75 victim surcharge.

Emmanuel Ikem received two years imprisonment at the same court in October, 2012 for a five-year fraud, during which he created thirteen fictitious identities, forged birth certificates, tenancy agreements, utility bills and other documents.

He also had a sideline in insurance fraud, pocketing another £8,000 in payouts for non-existent injuries, but was exposed when his unsuspecting parents reported all the suspicious correspondence arriving at the family home.

Ikem made claims on properties he controlled, were derelict or occupied by an unsuspecting resident.

"You have served a sentence of two years and today's offences go back to before you were sentenced and it would be quite unjust to send you to prison," the judge told him, passing sentence of six months imprisonment, suspended for one year.

Now You Don't

The court heard the multiple bogus applications were linked to a series of telephone numbers used by the brothers and fictitious landlords they created.

Interest-free crisis loans are available to legitimate claimants to cover housing costs and are repaid from deductions to future benefits.

Prosecutor Mr. Stephen Hopper told the court: "They provided telephone numbers and fake landlord identities to others and took a cut of the loan.

"They would also make the phone calls on behalf of the applicants who were not as confident. Coote was one of the applicants."

Typically a successful crisis loan application netted between £750 and £1,000 and Coote received £900 for his bogus claim, with the brothers claiming they took a one-third cut from all successful applications.

The court heard Peter Ikem, of Hawthorne Avenue, Thornton Heath was the more active of the brothers in the plot, which funded his "long-standing" cocaine use, and claims totalling £164,000 are attributed to him and £43,000 to Emmanuel.

Department of work and Pensions (DWP) investigators carried out a surveillance operation and watched as the brothers drove the applicants to their Jobcentre interviews and waited outside, sometimes posing as the new landlord during telephone checks.

However the DWP became suspicious when multiple applications were linked to the same phone numbers and a fictitious story of becoming homeless after a fall-out with a non-existent aunt was used by applicants again and again.

"This was a deliberate, targeted fraud on the social security system, which is vulnerable to deliberate fraud of the character here," Judge McKinnon told the brothers.

"This was a carefully planned, sophisticated fraud. This was deliberate and over a significant period of time and we are dealing with substantial sums of money."

He told sobbing Emmanuel, who broke down in tears after seeing his brother jailed: "I was impressed by your letter. Just make sure you keep on the right road."

There will be no Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings because the loans are repaid from deductions to future benefits received by the applicants.

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

The junkie ex-wife of former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams was jailed for twelve months today for stealing handbags from guests at private parties she infiltrated.

Jane Shea, 47, has now clocked-up twenty-eight offences, mostly committed to fund her drug habit, which one ex-boyfriend claimed cost her £250,000 a year when they were together.

She was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court with accomplice Vannessa Joseph, 33, a fellow resident at an Upper Holloway house in St. John's Grove that has been divided into rooms - a far cry from her former Footballer's Wives lifestyle.

Shea pleaded guilty to stealing a £200 handbag, containing a £300 iPod, on November 17, last year from the nearby Archway Leisure Centre, which had been reserved for a young boy's birthday party.

Both pleaded guilty to theft from the Carpenter's Arms pub, Fitzrovia on January 25, when a guest at a private function had her handbag stolen by Shea and an iPhone was pinched by Joseph.

Accomplice: Vannessa Joseph

The Eastender married Adams, 45, in July 1992 at a grand country house and the couple have a son, Oliver, 22, and daughter Amber, 18, and Shea has another daughter from an earlier relationship, Clare, 28.

The couple's marriage collapsed in 1997 as Shea struggled to cope with her drug addiction and Adams wrestled with his own drinking demons.

Repeated admissions to drug rehabilitation clinics to beat her addictions failed and Shea's nadir was ten years ago when she was arrested after junkie Teresa Tuppen, 44, was found by police dead in the back of her BMW.

"Both of you have had a long history of suffering drug and alcohol addiction and many of the offences you have committed were from those habits," Judge Peter Murphy told the pair, who have been locked-up since their joint arrest.

"You both have appalling records for dishonesty and this is not the first time community orders were tried and did not succeed.

Digs: St.John's Grove

"There was a depth of planning. These were not spontaneous, and you must have known these were private parties and infiltrated them, posing as guests, and stole when their backs were turned.

"These were sophisticated offences and the public must be protected against offences of this kind."

Prosecutor Mr. Alistair Walker told the court a couple had hired the leisure centre's pool area and set up tables and chairs for guests of their son's birthday and it was closed to the public.

"The husband saw Shea standing near a vending machine and was suspicious of her, because he did not recognise her.

"She had a dark jacket hanging over her arm and he observed his wife's handbag in her possession."

Shea was challenged about having the bag, but replied: "No I don't," and claimed she was waiting for her child in the changing room. "It was all a bluff," added Mr. Walker.

"She left, bashing past the husband and another parent and into the street and made off."

Shea was later identified as the thief on a video identity parade.

While on bail she and Joseph targeted the West End pub, which had taken bookings from several private groups that evening.

Target: Carpenters Arms

"They were mingling with the guests and trying to blend in, but a member of one of the group's found a handbag was missing and attention turned to these two defendants.

"Shea was carrying her bag, but inside was the one she had stolen and both defendants were pursued by a number of people."

She was stopped by police in Charlotte Street and Joseph was caught on a bus, where she had tried to hide the iPhone underneath a seat.

Shea's convictions include numerous thefts, plus burglary, having counterfeit currency, driving while unfit and she has breached non-custodial sentences such as drug rehabilitation requirements and community orders.